Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and Shannon Dresser are among the dozens of Houston-area residents named as Houston-exclusive celebrities and headline-makers. Continue through the photos to see who else made the list.

Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and Shannon Dresser are among the dozens of Houston-area residents named as Houston-exclusive celebrities and headline-makers. Continue through the photos to see who else made the

Rice University President David Leebron was named as the president of the prestigious Houston university with the goal of diversifying the student body at Rice. Here he is with his wife, Y. Ping Sun, who is an attorney.

The University of Houston president is the first foreign-born president and is the second woman to hold the position.

Renu Khator

The University of Houston president is the first foreign-born president and is the second woman to hold the position.

Photo: Craig Moseley

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David Adickes

The 92-year-old artist is responsible for creating the giant sculpted heads of former presidents and the Instagram-famous "We (heart) Houston" sign off of I-10 and Yale.

David Adickes

The 92-year-old artist is responsible for creating the giant sculpted heads of former presidents and the Instagram-famous "We (heart) Houston" sign off of I-10 and Yale.

Photo: Gregory Smith/Corbis Via Getty Images

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Sam Malone

For the past 22 years, Malone has been on Houston-area radios. First with 104 KRBE, then in 2005, he moved to MIX 96.5, then to Clear Channel in 2009 for his own show - the "Sam Malone Show," which specialized in conservative radio news. He is currently a CBS affiliate for KHOU Channel 11 and is a guest host for Great Day Houston.

He worked at Enron before founding his own hedge fund in 2002. Wife Laura is a former attorney and oil company executive with degrees from Harvard, Yale Law School and the University of Cambridge. These days the couple focuses on philanthropy with their Laura and John Arnold Foundation. In 2010, the Arnolds signed the Giving Pledge and have vowed to donate half of their wealth – reportedly somewhere around $3 billion – to charitable causes.

Yes, he writes for the Houston Chronicle, but you can also see him on local news channel "News Fix" and around town DJing at local clubs and bars.

Craig Hlavaty

Yes, he writes for the Houston Chronicle, but you can also see him on local news channel "News Fix" and around town DJing at local clubs and bars.

Photo: James Nielsen, Staff

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Chloe Dao

The Houston-area fashion designer first came into the spotlight from her "Project Runway" debut in 2005. She ended up winning that season and has been ruling her own fashion house in Rice Villiage ever since.

The Houston-area fashion designer first came into the spotlight from her "Project Runway" debut in 2005. She ended up winning that season and has been ruling her own fashion house in Rice Villiage ever

Before becoming Houston's official barbecue-master chef, Killen was just a regular pitmaster with a love of smoked meats. Since then, he's opened up Killen's Steakhouse, Killen's STQ and Killen's Barbecue.

This native Texan is the hostess with the mostest. In 2013, she retired from organizing her multi-million-dollar American and International Friends of the Louvre fundraiser, Liaisons au Louvre, but she returned in 2017 for one last event in June, which was a cultural hit, according to Vogue.

He's the owner of Landry's Inc. and had a brief stint in the reality television industry, but he's now the owner of the Houston Rockets and very well might be on his way to national recognition.

Tilman Fertitta

He's the owner of Landry's Inc. and had a brief stint in the reality television industry, but he's now the owner of the Houston Rockets and very well might be on his way to national recognition.

Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle

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Lynn Wyatt

She's the granddaughter of the man who started Sakowitz Department Store chain, which is now closed. She has been the host and guest at hundreds of philanthropy galas and balls in the Houston area.

Lynn Wyatt

She's the granddaughter of the man who started Sakowitz Department Store chain, which is now closed. She has been the host and guest at hundreds of philanthropy galas and balls in the Houston area.

Photo: Annie Mulligan, Staff

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Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale

Before Hurricane Harvey, he was best known in Houston for being the guy who will "save you money" on "American-made furniture." After Harvey hit the Bayou City, he responded and opened his doors to local refugees and has donated millions worth in supplies and furniture to those in need following the storm.

The KPRC anchor is seen each night on the television for the evening broadcast, but in her spare time, she is a philanthropist who is often at galas and balls to fundraise for local charities and runs her own beauty vlog on YouTube with more than 409,000 subscribers.

The late surgeon was responsible for developing a ventricular assist device - a tiny heart-assist pump - that he designed. ﻿Here he is holding the pump on the right. He died on July 11, 2008. He left a legacy including a local high school specializing in medical professions in Houston.

His face may not be familiar, but he is the voice of "The Engines of Our Ingenuity," as well as an author and professor of technology and culture at the University of Houston.

Dr. John Lienhard (left)

His face may not be familiar, but he is the voice of "The Engines of Our Ingenuity," as well as an author and professor of technology and culture at the University of Houston.

Photo: Gary Fountain, Freelance

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Trae tha Truth

Frazier Thompson, III, whose stage name is "Trae tha Truth," released an uplifting Hurricane Harvey dedication video, "Trying to Figure It Out," in mid-September. Ever since the storm hit, the rapper and friends have been distributing supplies based out of a massive warehouse, and repairing homes throughout the area.

One month after his elder brother’s passing, 12-year Carson Riley caught Carlos Correa’s home run in Game 2 of the ALCS. The incident was immediately compared to then 12-year old Jeffrey Maier, who famously caught Derek Jeter’s home run at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS; many later deemed the latter move “spectator interference,” but not Carson's.

Sometimes Shannon Dresser wears her police badge; other times, her Miss Texas pageant sash. Last spring, the Katy ISD clinched the state title and competed for the Miss United States crown in Florida in July.

Last spring, a video of Texas Rep. Gene Wu getting emotional when he addressed the House over Senate Bill 4 went viral. Wu immigrated to the United States with his family when he was four or five years old. The bill, which effectively banned “sanctuary cities” in the state, eventually passed after 16 hours of debate.

Last spring, a video of Texas Rep. Gene Wu getting emotional when he addressed the House over Senate Bill 4 went viral. Wu immigrated to the United States with his family when he was four or five years

Houstonians saw a lot of Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner during Hurricane Harvey. So much, in fact, that a few “concerned” citizens started a “Let’s Buy Jeff Lindner a Vacation” account on GoFundMe. Lindner took the $21,000 raised – which far surpassed the initial $4,000 goal – and donated the cash to flood victims instead.

Newly-elected Kim Ogg represents a new breed of local law enforcement: She’s the first democratic district attorney in nearly four decades, an active member of the LGBTQ community, and she wants to decriminalize marijuana.

Chef Hugo Ortega is on a winning streak. After being named a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for six consecutive years, he finally nabbed the “2017 Best Chef: Southwest” title. Ortega is also the executive chef/co-owner of four local hotspots including Backstreet Café, Hugo’s, Caracol and newly-opened Xochi.

KRPC-2 meteorologist Frank Billingsley chronicled the journey to find his birth parents in the book “Swabbed & Found: An Adopted Man’s DNA Journey to Discover His Family Tree.”

Frank Billingsley

KRPC-2 meteorologist Frank Billingsley chronicled the journey to find his birth parents in the book “Swabbed & Found: An Adopted Man’s DNA Journey to Discover His Family Tree.”

Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

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Tony Buzbee

Trial lawyer Tony Buzbee is no stranger to media attention. In 2014, he was announced as lead counsel for Governor Rick Perry after Perry was indicted on two felony counts (which were later dismissed). Last year, the River Oaks resident hosted a fundraiser for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump; tickets ranged from $5,400 to $250,000.

Dutch Small is Renaissance man, of sorts, for the hipster-set. A few of his projects include antique furniture restoration, the Houston branch of Our/Vodka in EaDo, and being involved in the annual Day for Night music/art festival.

Two years ago, when Nancy Riviere (left) was undergoing surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment for cancer, she met two fellow patients who could not afford quality wigs after losing their hair. So Riviere founded WIG OUT, which repurposes high-end wigs, headscarves, and hats for underprivileged women suffering from chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

The late news reporter for television station KTRK-TV in Houston investigated the Chicken Ranch, which sparked "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." He was also best known locally for "pink sliiiiime" in area restaurants. He died Sunday, July 29, 2007.

Everyone who grew up in Houston knows that Mattress Mack will "save you money today" and that if you've got junk made from metal, you take it to C & D Scrap Metal's Dennis Laviage because he pays in $2 bills.

Though, if you ask your out-of-town friends about either of the men above, they might not be able to tell you who they are.